Queen’s College take Under 20 Secondary Interschool Chess Title

Queen's College take Under 20 Secondary Interschool Chess Title

Queen’s College “A” team won the Under 20 section of the recently concluded Secondary Interschool chess championship held recently.

The formidable team led by three females who are past or current Women’s Olympiad team members inclusive of Hannah Wilson, Vanessa Greenidge and Chanon Reifer-Belle along with Louis Wilson and Kimahri Holder put in an excellent performance in winning all their 6 matches and scoring 59 points overall from a possible 60.

The team event is played with five players per team and each person scoring two points for a win and thus a total of 10 points for a match.

Four of the five members won all their games while Louis on board 2 allowed one draw against Azaria Johnson of Harrison College. It was during this round three match that Queens College would have faced their toughest test on paper as they faced archrival Harrison College who had a lineup that included Yeshua Hill, Azaria Johnson, Melvin Terence, Keon Lashley and Jaydn Gill. These players would all have had experience in playing for Barbados at Carifta level and should have provided a stiff examination for Queens.

However, Harrisons’ started the match on the wrong foot, when they could only field their first four boards as no board 5 was available. And like most things in life, when it starts to rain it pours. On board three, Vanessa Greenidge got a clear advantage out of the opening which she would eventually press home. Hill on board one succumbed to Hannah Wilson, Lashley went down to Reifer-Belle and the only person who would trouble the score was Kolij’s board 2 player Azaria Johnson who drew with Louis Wilson.

After this Queens racked up three more consecutive victories by the maximum score to come out convincing winners. Second was Harrisons College with 49 points, while Queens College “B” finished in third place with 36 points. Queens College “B” defeated Combermere “A” 10 – 0 with wins for Nicholas Maxwell, Andrew Greenidge, Jaydn Odle, Makalo Grant and Kyei Hope.

Some individual players outside of the two top teams did put in creditable performances. These include Combermere “A” board 1 Nathan Griffith, Queens College’s “B” team pair of Nicholas Maxwell and Makalo Grant who won four of their 6 games.

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2023 Under 18 Female and Open Chess Champions

2023 Under 18 Female and Open Chess Champions

Hannah Wilson returned to her winning ways as she slammed the field to capture the female Under 18 chess championship over the last weekend.

 

Wilsons performance was even more impressive as the female and open section of the event were combined due to undersubscription in the female section and she still won all her matches to finish ahead of all in the 16-player field.

Wilson was out of the blocks early and by the end of round 3, she was the sole leader with 3 wins. Its then Wilson went into overdrive and in the next three matches she first defeated Alesha Lovell, the third seed, after which she took down Aaron Jaikaran, the reigning Under 13 champion.

 

In Wilson’s final game she face Chanon Reifer Belle, who has defeated Wilson recently and who was looking to repeat this victory to at least catch up to Wilson, who was now a point ahead. However, a determined Wilson played a classic game and allowed her opponent no chance of a successive victory. When the dust had cleared Wilson strove to victory to clinch the female championship.

Finishing in second was Alesha Lovell, who had a wonderful tournament, only losing to the eventual winner but drawing two games as well with the highly touted Jaikaran and Reifer-Belle. Reifer- Belle also finished on 4 points but finished third on the tie-break.

 

In the Open section, three players ended tied on four points. These were Jaikaran and the brother Loki and Noah Clarke. Noah’s performance was impressive as he won his last four games after missing the first two, and when he defeated the 4th ranked player Derick Boyce in the last round, that would guarantee his progression to a playoff for the championship. The three top male players will meet in a playoff at a later date to determine the champion.

 

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Refer-Belle & Clarke Crowned 2023 Under 16 Chess Champions

Refer Belle & Clarke Crowned 2023 Under 16 Chess Champions

Tarquin Clark has won the 2023 Under 16 Open chess championship after defeating Kanye Williams after a play-off at the Coles Building in the city over the weekend.

 

The playoff was necessary after both players had finished with 5 ½ points from 6 games in the initial 26 player , 6 round event.

 

Both players had won all their games and had only drawn their individual encounter with each other. As such when they both went into the last round of the initial event, a half point ahead of their final round opponents and the closest players in the field Eden Gibson and Zarek Greaves who were both on 4 points.

 

In this final round Clark duly defeated Gibson after a tough battle, while Williams won form Greaves to set up the playoff. In the playoff battle, Clark and Williams drew the first game of the two match series after some enterprising play by both players. In the second game, Clark now with the white pieces was the slightly better out of the opening and after pressing during the middle game he went on a king hunt which paid dividends with him gaining victory allowing him to capture the title.

 

Mileke Sinckler finished in clear third place with four and a half points with a final round victory from the highly touted Samuel Greenidge. He thus edged out 6 players who finished on four points. These included Gibson, Greaves, Noah Clarke, Nicholas Maxwell, Kimari Holder, and Nathan Griffith.

 

Refer Belle wins Girls Under 16 Title

Chanon-Refer Belle dominated the Girls Under 16 event in emphatic fashion after winning all her 7 games in the 8 – player round-robin event. After defeating her fierce competitive rival Hannah Wilson in the third round, tournament victory was a mere formality as she racked up consecutive wins to romp to her title. Wilson finished in second on 6 points, while Leshay Springer put in a credible performance to come third with 4 ½ points.

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Under 12 and Under 20 Chess Champions crowned

Under 12 and Under 20 Chess Champions crowned

Over the last weekend Barbados crowned a new Under 12 Open chess champion in the form of the enthusiastic Jonathan Griffith of Gordon Walters Primary.

 

Griffith put in an impressive second day performance to win all three of his games and finish in sole first with 5 ½ points from a possible 6. Griffith started the day in joint fourth place but defeated Janiyah Browne in the round four, to move in to second behind the then unbeaten leader Aaron Jaikaran of Harrison College. In round 5, in the top of the table clash, many would have fancied Jaikaran the current Under 13 champion, would have triumphed over his slightly lesser experienced opponent, but Griffith was unyielding in his approach and eventually it was Jaikaran who succumbed to the pressure. He dropped a piece at a critical stage of the game, to which Griffith capitalized and eventually won the game. Griffith then had to just stay the course in his final round game against Savion Little and when he won this game, no one could control the ecstatic emotions of Griffith as he had now captured his first age category championship win.

 

Jaikaraon edged out Andrew Tash Turton into second place on five points. Jaikaran had defeated Chaz Reifer-Belle and Tash Turton had won from Xavi Armstrong in the last round. Little led a cadre of players on 4 points to share 4th to 9th which also included Jayden Howell, Nathan Simmons-Patterson, Jaeda Herbert and Scott Johnson.

 

Herbert wins Girls Under 12

With a commendable four points Jaeda Herbert captured the girls Under 12 Championship to also capture the championship. The females participated in the Open section as they were undersubscribed but Jaeda showed she was not disadvantaged as she recorded 4 points to finish in the top third of the 28 player field. Her last round victory against Charis Stuart was enough to propel her into sole first. Finishing in second place was Janiyah Browne and Kayla Culpepper in third. Both players finished on three points.

 

Wilson and Moore capture Under 20 Titles

At the other end of the age spectrum, Louis Wilson on Queens College won the Under 20 Open championship with 5 ½ points from 6 games having only conceded a draw to the eventual girls champion Gaybrianna Moore of Community College. In a small field both sexes competed together, and Jamani Bowen finished second in the Open section with 3 points ahead of Shamar McClean (third) and Christian Stuart-jackman on tie-break. Analissa Arjune finished second in the girls’ section.

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Youth Chess Championship Events Begin

Youth Chess Championship Events Begin

The individual age category youth chess championship events have started with great earnest last weekend as players put themselves in position to be selected for a number of regional events later this year.

 

At the halfway point of the 2023 Under 12 Open National chess championship, three players lead the event.

These are Aaron Jaikaran, Jaydon Howell, and Nathan Simmons-Patterson. They have won the first three of 6 games to jointly lead the 28-player field. In round three, Simmons-Patterson defeated Janiyah Browne, Howell defeated Savion Little and Jaikaran won from Andrew Tash-Turton. Lying in 4th and 5th position are Jonathan Griffith and Chaz Reifer-Belle, who have two and a half points, having won two games, and drawn their individual encounter.

 

Many players sit in spots 6 – 13 on two points. These include Browne, Little, Tash-Turton along with Charis Stuart, Shavis Regis, Jaeda Herbert, Kayla Culpepper and Scott Johnson. The Under 12 Female section is being played along with Open section as it was undersubscribed and Browne leads Herbert and Culpepper on tie-break.

 

In the Under 20 Open again being played alongside with the girls’ section due to undersubscription, 8 players are involved in an intense battle. Atter the said three rounds, Louis Wilson and Gaybrianna Moore share the lead with two and a half points having only drawn with each other. Shamar McClean and Christian Stuart-Jackman sit closely on their heels with 2 points each. The next round should be very interesting as Louis Wilson will have the white pieces against McClean and Stuart-Jackman will also have white against Moore.

 

In the Under 16 Open section Tarquin Clark and Kanye Williams share the lead with three points. Williams has looked in good form especially in defeating the second rank seed in the event Derick Boyce. Clark has also been doing the business and would have been pleased to get over another favorite Samuel Greenidge in an earlier match. When Williams and Clark clash in the fourth round, the result will be of utmost importance in determining the winner of the event.

 

Noah Clarke and Mileke Sinckler sit just off the pace in joint third place on two and a half points, each having both won two of their three games and drawn their head-to-head encounter. In a tie for 5th to 12th are Jakeb Barrow, Greenidge, Alexei Frederick, Zarek Greaves, Rhys Francis, Eden Gibson, Makalo Grant, Nathan Griffith and Nicholas Maxwell. Of the 26-player field it would be expected that the eventual winner would come from this group.

 

In the girls Under 16 section, 8 players are competing a keen event, and after 3 of the 7 rounds, Chanon Reifer-Belle and Tedra Gibson share the lead with three points. The event is being played as an 8 player round-robin where each individual player will play all the others.

 

Reifer-Belle caused an upset in the last round when she defeated current CAC Under 14 silver medalist Hannah Wilson. With this victory many pundits believe Reifer-Belle has paved her way to the title. However, Gibson has also stayed in contention by winning all her games and when she clashes with Reifer-Belle and Wilson this Saturday at Harrison College she might just upset the apple cart.

Wilson sits in joint third with Leshay Springer on two points. Springer’s only lost has been to Reifer-Belle.

 

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Renaldo Rochester wins the CB Gilkes Open Chess Qualifier

Renaldo Rochester wins the CB Gilkes Open Chess Qualifier

It was an exciting final round shoot out at the Bridgetown chess center last Sunday and when the dust had cleared Renaldo Rochester had won the CB Gilkes Open chess tournament by the thinnest of margins, to lead Hannah Wilson and Justin Parsons as the National championship qualifiers from the almost three dozen participants in the event.

Going into the last round 8 players had a chance to win the event or medal to qualify for this year’s national finals later this year. These top  matchups would see Renaldo Rochester(5) versus Emar Edwards (4 ½), Philip Roach(4 ½) versus Hannah Wilson(4 ½),  Justin Parsons(4 ½) against Boris Thompson(4) and the veterans clash of Othneil Harewood(4) against Cyprian La Touche(4).

The first player to punch their ticket to the final was Parsons. After winning a minor piece against Thompson in the middle game Parsons executed well and was able to finish off his opponent in the ending. This victory also secured third place for Parsons.

The next pairing to finish was the highly anticipated clash between the top seed in the event Roach against the 2022 CAC Under 14 girls silver medalist Wilson. And Wilson did not disappoint, as she played with great maturity in over coming the much higher rated Roach who was making a return to the game of kings, after a long layoff. This result placed Wilson second and made her the youngest female to qualify for the Open national championship.

Rochester had Edwards under early pressure and kept the game under control as he duly dispatched Edwards. With this win Rochester claimed his second tournament victory on the trot as he finished a half point ahead of  Wilson and Parsons on 6 points.

The last of the top boards was also the final game to finish in the round as Harewood outlasted La Touche to finish solely in fourth spot on 5 points. By then the three qualifiers were already known and this result was of academic importance.

Other results in the round saw victories for Travis Grant, Dr. Alfred Sparman,  Kanye Williams, Isaiah Archer, Amari Blackett, Mileke Sinckler, Loki Clarke, Nathan Patterson-Simmons and Liam Valles Desrochers. There were draws between Akan Herbert and Chanon Reifer-Belle, Aaronn Jaikaran and Aleshs Lovell, as well as Jonathan Griffith and Chaz Reifer-Belle.

The female special prize went to Chanon Reifer-Belle, while Jaikaran claimed the Under 16 special prize.

With this first qualifier now finished, players will have a couple of months to prepare for the second of the three national finals qualifiers. The top three positions from each of the  qualifying events will go forward to join the defending national champion from last year in the finals. The next event on the chess calendar will see the Under 12, 16 and 20 National Junior championships .

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Wilson and Reifer-Belle Claim Chess Crowns

Wilson and Reifer-Belle Claim Chess Crowns

Top junior female chess player Hannah Wilson of the Queens College school duly won the 2022 Under 13 Female Scholastics chess championship in convincing fashion over the last weekend.

Wilson dispatched all opponents in a small field to continue to add to her hardware for the year. The reigning local female champion was in a no-nonsense mood as she won all her games to score five points and finish a point ahead of Naomi Lewis of Harrison College in second, with Tedra Gibson (Combermere) finishing another point back in third on three points.

Concurrently Chaz Refer- Belle of Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary was also putting in a similarly exemplary performance as he won all five of his matches to capture the Under 9 Open Scholastics event. This was combined with the Under 7 event.

Tayari Wallace finished in second place on four points only losing to the eventual winner. Akeli Grazette was in third place with a score of 2 points.

Jaeda Herbert scored three points to become the Under 9 scholastics female champion. Asura Nosakhere was the Under 7 champion.

The next event on the Barbados Chess Federation calendar is the Michael Forde Memorial event which will take place at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown from November 29. (BCF)

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Jaikaran Victorious in 2022 Under 13 Open Scholastics Chess Championship

Jaikaran Wins Under 13 Open Scholastics Chess Championship 2022

Aaron Jaikaran of Harrison College was crowned the National Scholastics Under 13 Open chess champion of Barbados when the event was completed recently at the St. Michael School.

Jaikaran defeated Nathan Reid in the last round of the event, to edge home on the first tie-break which was the result of the direct encounter between players who finished on the same number of points. Both players had finished on 5 points from 6 games.

Reid had looked impressive throughout the event as he had defeated more fancied opponents like Eden Gibson and Samuel Greenidge of Queen’s College in rounds 4 and 5. Reid went into the final round with the sole lead on five points, and once he had avoided defeat to Jaikaran, he would have clinched his first national title.

However, Jaikaran who had suffered an upset at the hands of Deryck Boyce in round two, was the player who was always pressing during the high intensity match. Reid attempted to trade off the major pieces in an attempt to reach a draw. He however fell to a tactical shot that gave Jaikaran an advantage of a superior piece ending, which Jaikaran duly converted.

This result thus gave Jaikaran a well-deserved title to add to his Under 11 scholastic title that he had won earlier in the year.

Reid should be proud of his second-place finish in his first major event and seems a talented player with a good temperament. Eden Gibson finished in third on 4 ½ points, while Samuel Greenridge finished fourth, ahead on tie-break on 4 points, ahead of Alexi Frederick and Liam Yearwood.

Almost two dozen players made this event an exciting and memorable event. (BCF)

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Seven newcomers in Barbados team for Chess Olympiad

Seven newcomers in Barbados team for Chess Olympiad

Seven newcomers have been selected in a youthful ten-member Barbados team for the upcoming FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India.

Thirteen-year-old Hannah Wilson, who was crowned as the youngest Barbados ladies national champion in April, heads the list of first-timers for the global event which will be held from July 28 to August 10.

Chanon Reifer-Belle, 12, who won gold medals in the online rapid and blitz events at the Pan American Youth Championships in recent weeks, becomes the youngest ever Barbadian selected for an Olympiad.

The other debutants in the Women’s team are Gaybrianna Moore, 17, and Kiarra Eversley, 20. Both Moore and Eversley were chosen for the 2020 Olympiad which was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five-time ladies national champion, Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman is the only member of the Women’s team with the experience of competing at a previous Olympiad.

There are three first-timers in the Open team which is spearheaded by four-time national champion, International Orlando Husbands, 25, who will be making his fourth appearance at an Olympiad.

The three newcomers are Justin Parsons, 25, Emar Edwards, 24 and Adam Roachford, 20.

FIDE Master Justin Blackman, the most successful Barbados player at the last Olympiad in 2018, completes the Open team.

Seven-time national champion Martyn Del Castilho, who has played in seven previous Olympiads, was originally selected for the Open team but withdrew due to medical reasons. It also led to the withdrawal of his wife, Julissa Figueroa, from the Women’s team. Figueroa has played at five Olympiads, including four for her native Guatemala.

Belgian Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich is coach of the Open team for the second straight Olympiad while British Grandmaster Nigel Davies is the Women’s team coach. Barbados Chess Federation 3rd Vice President Kelvin Daniel will be the Head of Delegation.

At the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, both Barbados teams were the highest-placed of the English-speaking Caribbean countries. The Open team finished 97th out of 185 teams, while the Women’s team placed 99th out of 151 countries.

This year’s Olympiad is expected to attract more than 1 700 players from 189 countries in the Open section and 162 teams in the Women’s category. (BCF)

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Del Castilho wins 7th National Championship

Martyn Del Castilho (right) defeated Orlando Husbands in a play-off to win the National Championship for the seventh time. (BCF Pictures)

Del Castilho wins 7th National Championship

Martyn Del Castilho is celebrating the capture of the national chess championship for the seventh time.

The 32-year-old FIDE Master was crowned the 2022 champion after winning an exciting play-off against arch-rival Orlando Husbands on Saturday evening at the Coles Building on Bay Street, Bridgetown.

The island’s two highest rated players faced off in a two-game play-off over the rapid format after both finished level on eight points over nine rounds of games in the longer, standard time control.

The first of the play-off games produced a tense draw but Del Castilho clinched the second to deny the 25-year-old Husbands, the no. 1 seed and four-time national champion.

It was Del Castilho’s first national title in five years and his seventh overall, having previously won the championship from 2009 to 2012 and again in 2016 and 2017.

International Master Husbands, who first won the championship in 2013, was also champion in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

There was much anticipation ahead of the play-off and it duly lived up to its billing as both players fought tooth and nail.

Del Castilho and Husbands were well clear of their rivals in the championship, finishing two points more than their closest challengers.

Adam Roachford took third place on the tie-break ahead of Emar Edwards and Louis Wilson after the three players finished on six points. Cyprian La Touche was sixth with four and a half points, prevailing on the tie-break ahead of Allan Herbert.

Del Castilho and Husbands were paired together in the third round but the contest never came off as Del Castilho won by default. The two players were then drawn to face each other in the fifth round where Husbands secured victory.

With both players level on points at that stage and having won their remaining games, it left the title to be decided by the play-off.

The championship, which attracted 13 players, was played simultaneously with the National Ladies Championship that was won by 13-year-old Hannah Wilson. They were the first over the board events hosted by the Barbados Chess Federation in more than seven months following the announcement by Government officials in March to allow a resumption of indoor sports.

On the heels of those events, the calendar moves into the Heroes Day Cup on Sunday at the Coles Building. The event will feature competitors from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and St Lucia and will conclude on Thursday, National Heroes Day. (BCF)

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